TRANNY TOILETS... THAT'S FIERCE

In a bold move of political correctness, a high school in Bangkok, Thailand, has taken the concept of the "unisex" restroom to a whole new level. This semester, the school has added a trans-gender toilet for students. The principal had the restroom built in response to a survey revealing that 200 (roughly 8%) of the school's 2,600 students considered themselves trans-gendered. The lavatories are designated with the words "Transvestite Toilet" and bear a symbol of a human figure that's half man/half woman, split down the middle.

Seriously.

The principal justified the decision, stating that students should be able to "go" in peace, without being "watched, laughed at or groped." He said that using the girl's room made the female students feel somewhat uncomfortable, while using the boy's room often resulted in harrassment. (Tough crap... haha... ok, sorry.)

So let's see if I can follow this crazy-train of thought... First, we're going to build a "teen queen" hang-out (with good lighting, please, so everyone can pluck their eyebrows between classes). And now, the students who already enjoy harrassing these poor confused boys will know exactly where to find them... plus they'll now be able to kick their tranny butts behind closed doors. Hmmm... Mr. Principal, I don't think we've thought this one through.

I don't know where to start, there are so many angles to this story. I am extremely tolerant of others' lifestyles (perhaps overly so), but even I have to ask is this really solving a problem? How about investing in resources and counseling to help these kids with their gender/identity issues? Might we have attempted to enforce stricter consequences for the kids who harrass the boys who dress like girls? Is building separate restrooms not further segregating the students from their peers? And is this not a validation that could potentially influence other kids to join in trans-gendered activity? And where, oh where, are the parents?

From what I've read, the Thai culture is much more tolerant of alternative lifestyles than we are in the good ol' US of A, but it's unthinkable to me that this would take place in a high school anywhere. High school, folks. Back in the day, all Ferris Bueller wanted was a teeny little day off. And this principal in Thailand? Well, if you ask me, he makes Mr. Rooney look like a real smart guy. And as a homage to the brilliance that was (and is) Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I'll exit with a quasi-quote from the end of the movie: "I bet you never smelled a real tranny toilet before." Nope. And I hope I never do.